‘ No concessions’ on THAAD
Moon expected to ‘ do things differently’: expert
China will “make no concessions” over Seoul’s deployment of the US Terminal High- Altitude Area Defense ( THAAD) system, Chinese experts said, after South Korean President Moon Jae- in denied on Tuesday that getting an environmental impact assessment means that Seoul will postpone or reverse the decision.
Moon, who took office in May, made the remarks during an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday, amid speculations that China and South Korea are eyeing improved relations, which have been severely affected by the THAAD deployment.
The South Korean Yonhap News Agency quoted on Monday the Jeju government as saying that airline services between the Korean resort island and some Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shenyang in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, are likely to be restored starting next month.
From the start of the year to June 18, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Jeju has shrunk by 58 percent compared to last year, the report said.
Moon also told the Washington Post that “the decision to deploy was made by the previous administration. I have made it clear that I will not take the decision [ to finish installing the Final Four batteries] lightly.”
“If Seoul wants to repair the affected bilateral ties, the THAAD deployment is and will be the major obstacle down the road, on which China will make no concessions,” said Lü Chao, an expert on Korean Studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.
The THAAD deployment has been delayed following Moon’s order for an environmental evaluation over the US missile shield installation in June. The assessment usually takes a year, and the THAAD’s complete deployment will likely be delayed, South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh reported in June.
However, such a delay in the deployment cannot fool China, and if Moon continues the policy of his predecessor, Park Geun- hye, Sino- South Korean ties will not improve this year, which is the 25th anniversary of their bilateral relations, he added.
Chinese authorities reaffirmed their position on the matter during the eighth highlevel strategic dialogue between Chinese and South Korea foreign ministries on Tuesday in Beijing.
China said it hopes South Korea would work together to properly handle relevant issues to improve relations as soon as possible, State Councilor Yang Jiechi said in his meeting with South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung- nam at the dialogue.
It seems impossible for Seoul to withdraw its decision to deploy the THAAD system, for it risks undermining its alliance with the US, Zhang Huizhi, a professor at the Northeast Asian Studies College of Jilin University, told the Global Times.
However, because Moon hopes to adopt a more independent foreign policy on key issues, China has more reason to expect South Korea to do things in a different way, and it will not always do things consistent with the US strategic interests, she added.